Once again, Alexander Sorloth played one of the main roles at Atletico Madrid, in stark contrast to what former Manchester United star Marcus Rashford did in the Barca shirt. Barcelona and Atletico Madrid both needed a 1-2 score at half-time, Rashford got 22 minutes at the CL match arena, Sørltoh got 14. There was a big difference in what the two expected match winners achieved.
Sørloth rushed forward on his way to score, was fouled – and the referee punished Barcelona with a penalty. A sending off that ensured that Atletico could defend their way to a 1-2 result and a 3-2 overall victory in the quarter-finals.
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After the game, a united Spanish press was very critical of Rashford.
SPORT branded him “useless” and raised doubts about his “character” at key moments: “When Rashford came in, he didn’t contribute anything special. He lacks the character to be decisive at crucial moments.”
Mundo Deportivo tooka similar view, saying Rashford “failed to improve Barcelona in the final third”, while Football Espana noted that he “looked like he was going astray”, giving Rashford a score of 5.5/10 – lower than many of his teammates.
AS were even more critical, not only condemning Rashford’s disappointing performance, but also casting doubt on his future at the club: “As usual, a lot of fuss and nothing,” they wrote after the game. “He can’t continue next year.”
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In the first quarter-final match against Atletico, Rashford spent 73 minutes on the pitch without producing. Sørloth got 30 minutes and delivered a goal. The England international should learn from the Norwegian striker how to decide the biggest games.
